Gear up for spring entertaining with a new concrete patio. According to Khara Dizmon, content manager of ConcreteNetwork.com, “Around this time every year, we see a spike in interest of visitors on our site researching concrete patio ideas. There's no reason to spend another summer in an ugly backyard. With the new photos added to our concrete patio gallery, thousands of people are getting great ideas of economical and appealing ways to create their own outdoor living areas.”

Warmer weather offers a great opportunity for homeowners, and designers to place and finish backyard hardscapes. ConcreteNetwork.com, the largest and most comprehensive source for concrete information, offers a concrete patio photo gallery featuring a collection of photos offering different design ideas and options for creating a patio to fit every individual need.

The patio has become so essential to backyard retreats that it was among the top 10 features ranked “very important” by home buyers in the 2007 Profile of Buyers' Home Feature Preferences, published by the National Association of Realtors.

The photo gallery features concrete patios that have been enhanced with decorative concrete applications. Several of the projects featured incorporate the use of stains and other coloring methods, to achieve just about any hue imaginable, to match the stone facade of a house or blend in with the natural landscape. Patios can also be stamped, engraved, stenciled or textured to resemble pricier stone or brick pavers–and often at a fraction of the cost.

The concrete photo gallery is updated every Friday offering new photos of unique designs and applications. Photos for the photo gallery have been collected from contractors around the country and are for design idea purposes only.

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Established in 1999, The Concrete Network's purpose is to educate consumers, builders, and contractors on popular decorative techniques and applications. These include stamped concrete, stained concrete floors, concrete countertops, polished concrete, and much more. In 2007 The Concrete Network Website had over 11 million visitors researching decorative concrete.

The site excels at connecting buyers with local contractors in their area through its Find a Concrete Contractor service. The service provides visitors with a list of decorative concrete contractors throughout the U.S. and Canada, and is fully searchable by 23 types of decorative concrete work and 202 regional areas throughout North America.